Detailed Description
At the 3gpp ran #86 conference, new Work Items (WI) related to research on support for reduced capability (i.e., "Redcap") NR devices were approved, aiming at researching a list of possible User Equipment (UE) features and/or parameters with low-end capabilities (i.e., enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and/or ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) NR devices with respect to release 16.
As a few examples, it is clear that reducing the number of available receive (Rx) antennas in the UE and/or reducing the bandwidth of the UE (e.g., reducing the bandwidth from 100MHz to 20 MHz) will result in reduced coverage, resulting in smaller Transport Block Sizes (TBSs) not only for unicast Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmissions but also for broadcast messages (e.g., msg2 transmissions for initial access (i.e., random Access Channel (RACH)) procedures). Other examples of potential reduced capabilities that a NR device may have may include, for example: only half duplex FDD (i.e., as opposed to full duplex FDD), relaxed UE processing time, and/or relaxed UE processing capability are supported. ]
Studies have shown that Msg4 coverage during initial access is also significantly affected by reducing the number of Rx antennas available in the UE device (e.g. reducing the number of Rx antennas from 4 to 1), and thus, there is also clearly a need to develop solutions to recover coverage loss and facilitate cell planning for operators while achieving comparable coverage performance for reduced capability UEs compared to conventional eMBB UEs.
Further, from an operational perspective, it would be beneficial to be able to identify different Redcap UE types, including, for example, identifying enumerated Redcap UE types based at least in part on their Rx antenna numbers and/or maximum supported bandwidths, for determining the most appropriate number of repetitions of broadcast messages (e.g., msg4 messages) needed to achieve comparable coverage with normal NR devices. As will be described throughout, the techniques described herein with respect to improved methods of providing CSI feedback are also equally applicable to non-Redcap UE NR devices.
The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure:
memory medium-any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media such as CD-ROM, floppy disk, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, rambus RAM, etc.; nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, e.g., hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing the program or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system through a network such as the internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside at different locations in different computer systems connected by, for example, a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., as a computer program) that are executable by one or more processors.
Carrier medium—storage media as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and/or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.
Programmable hardware elements-including various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOA (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine granularity (combinatorial logic or look-up tables) to coarse granularity (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). The programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic elements".
Computer system-any of various types of computing systems or processing systems, including Personal Computer Systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet appliances, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" may be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.
User Equipment (UE) (also referred to as "user equipment" or "UE device") -any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., based on iphones TM 、Android TM A telephone of (a)), a portable game device (e.g., a Nintendo DS TM 、PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM 、iPhone TM ) Laptop, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), PDA, portable internet device, music player, data storage device, other handheld device, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) device, dashboard, head Up Display (HUD) device, in-vehicle diagnostic (OBD) device, dashboard Mobile Equipment (DME), mobile Data Terminal (MDT), electronic Engine Management System (EEMS), electronic/Engine Control Unit (ECU), electronic/Engine Control Module (ECM), embedded system, microcontroller, control module, engine Management System (EMS), networking or "smart"Appliances, machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M), internet of things (IoT) devices, and the like. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" or "user device" may be defined broadly to encompass any electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is readily transportable by a user (or vehicle) and capable of wireless communication.
Wireless device-any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. The wireless device may be portable (or mobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A UE is one example of a wireless device.
Communication device-any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communications, where the communications may be wired or wireless. The communication device may be portable (or mobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.
Base station-the terms "base station", "radio base station" or "radio station" have the full scope of their ordinary meaning and include at least a radio communication station installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a radio telephone system or radio system. For example, if a base station is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB. If the base station is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB". Although certain aspects are described in the context of LTE or 5G NR, references to "eNB," "gNB," "nodeB," "base station," "NB," etc. may also refer to one or more wireless nodes serving a cell to provide a wireless connection between a user equipment and a generally wider network, and the concepts discussed are not limited to any particular wireless technology. Although certain aspects are described in the context of LTE or 5G NR, references to "eNB," "gNB," "nodeB," "base station," "NB," etc. are not intended to limit the concepts discussed herein to any particular wireless technology, and the concepts discussed are applicable to any wireless system.
A node-the term "node" or "wireless node" as used herein may refer to one or more devices associated with a cell that provides a wireless connection between a user equipment and a generally wired network.
Processing element (or processor) -refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing functions in a device, such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. The processing element may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, separate processors, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and any combinations thereof.
Channel-a medium used to transfer information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that the term "channel" as used in the present invention may be considered to be used in a manner consistent with the standards of the type of device to which the term refers, since the nature of the term "channel" may vary from one wireless protocol to another. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, the WLAN channel may be 22MHz wide, while the bluetooth channel may be 1MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and/or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.
Band-the term "band" has its full scope of ordinary meaning and includes at least a portion of the spectrum (e.g., the radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.
By automatically, it is meant that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASIC, etc.) without the need to directly specify or perform the action or operation by user input. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to a user manually performing or specifying an operation in which the user provides input to directly perform the operation. The automated process may be initiated by input provided by the user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually", where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user fills in an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) to manually fill in the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to user actions. The form may be automatically filled in by a computer system that (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user entering an answer to the specified fields. As indicated above, the user may refer to the automatic filling of the form, but not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers to the fields, but they do so automatically). The present description provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.
About-means approaching the correct or exact value. For example, about may refer to values within 1% to 10% of the exact (or desired) value. It should be noted, however, that the actual threshold (or tolerance) may depend on the application. For example, in some aspects, "about" may mean within 0.1% of some specified value or desired value, while in various other aspects, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the desire or requirement of a particular application.
Concurrent-refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. Concurrency may be achieved, for example, using "strong" or strict parallelism, in which tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements; or use "weak parallelism" to achieve concurrency, where tasks are performed in an interleaved fashion (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).
Configured-various components may be described as "configured to" perform a task or tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad expression that generally means "having" a structure that "performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when a component is not currently performing a task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" may be a broad expression of structure generally meaning "having" circuitry "that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may comprise hardware circuitry.
For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be construed to include the phrase "configured to". The expression a component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended to not refer to an explanation of 35u.s.c. ≡112 (f) for that component.
Exemplary Wireless communication System
Turning now to fig. 1, a simplified example of a wireless communication system in accordance with some aspects is illustrated. It is noted that the system of fig. 1 is only one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.
As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, user device 106B-user device 106N, etc., over a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Thus, the user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.
Base Station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UEs 106A-106N.
The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell. The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium utilizing any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), 5G new air interface (5G-NR), HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and so forth. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as "gndeb" or "gNB".
In some aspects, the UE 106 may be an IoT UE that may include a network access layer designed for low power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. IoT UEs may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with MTC servers or devices via Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), proximity services (ProSe), or device-to-device (D2D) communications, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. IoT networks describe interconnected IoT UEs that may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the internet infrastructure) with ephemeral connections. As an example, internet of vehicles (V2X) may utilize ProSe features using a PC5 interface to communicate directly between devices. The IoT UE may also execute a background application (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connection of the IoT network.
As shown, UEs 106 (such as UE 106A and UE 106B) may exchange communication data directly via PC5 interface 108. For example, the PC5 interface 105 can include one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical side link shared channel (PSSCH), a physical side link control channel (PSCCH), a physical side link broadcast channel (PSBCH), and a physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH).
In a V2X scenario, one or more of the base stations 102 may be a Road Side Unit (RSU) or act as an RSU. The term RSU may refer to any transport infrastructure entity for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable wireless node or stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein the RSU implemented in or by the UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", the RSU implemented in or by the eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", the RSU implemented in or by the gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", etc. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on the road side that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs (vues). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications/software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9GHz Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) band to provide very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crashes, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X frequency band to provide the aforementioned low-delay communications, as well as other cellular communication services. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and/or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the radio frequency circuitry of the computing device and RSU may be packaged in a weather resistant package suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., ethernet) with a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network.
As shown, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a cellular service provider's core network, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and/or the internet, among various possibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communication between user devices and/or between a user device and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A may provide UEs 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and/or data services.
Base station 102A and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards (such as base station 102 b..once..102N) may thus be provided as a network of cells, the network of cells may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services over a geographic area to UEs 106A-N and similar devices via one or more cellular communication standards.
Thus, while base station 102A may act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-N as shown in fig. 1, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals (and possibly within communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and/or any other base station), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells. Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and/or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and/or any of a variety of other granularity cells that provide a service area size. For example, the base stations 102A to 102B shown in fig. 1 may be macro cells, and the base station 102N may be micro cells. Other configurations are also possible.
In some aspects, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G new air interface (5G NR) base station or "gNB". In some aspects, the gNB may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and/or to an NR core (NRC)/5G core (5 GC) network. Further, the gNB cell may include one or more Transition and Reception Points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gnbs. For example, the base station 102A and one or more other base stations 102 may support joint transmission such that the UE 106 may be able to receive transmissions from multiple base stations (and/or multiple TRPs provided by the same base station). For example, as shown in fig. 1, base station 102A and base station 102C are each shown as serving UE 106A.
Note that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface), LTE-a, 5G NR, HSPA, 3gpp2 cd ma2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., wi-Fi) and/or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., bluetooth, wi-Fi peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., advanced television systems committee-mobile/handheld (ATSC-M/H)), and/or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards, including more than two wireless communication standards, are also possible.
Exemplary User Equipment (UE)
Fig. 2 illustrates a user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A-106N) in communication with a base station 102, in accordance with some aspects. The UE 106 may be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, laptop, tablet, smart watch, or other wearable device or virtually any type of wireless device.
The UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the method aspects described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, the UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), integrated circuits, and/or any of a variety of other possible hardware components configured to perform (e.g., individually or in combination) any of the method aspects described herein or any portion of any of the method aspects described herein.
The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or techniques. In some aspects, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, NR or LTE using at least some shared radio components. As an additional possibility, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate with CDMA2000 (1 xRTT/1 xEV-DO/HRPD/eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and/or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. In general, the radio components may include any combination of baseband processors, analog Radio Frequency (RF) signal processing circuits (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuits (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and/or the transmit chain among a variety of wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above.
In some aspects, the UE 106 may include separate transmit and/or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radios shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radios that are uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating with either LTE or 5G NR (or, in various possibilities, either LTE or 1xRTT, or either LTE or GSM), as well as separate radio components for communicating with each of Wi-Fi and bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.
In some aspects, the downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the base stations 102 to the UE 106, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such time-frequency plane representation is common practice, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in the radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid may include a plurality of resource blocks that describe a mapping of particular physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements. Several different physical downlink channels are transmitted using such resource blocks.
A Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 106. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) may carry information on a transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel, etc. It may also inform the UE 106 about transport format, resource allocation and H-ARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request) information related to the uplink shared channel. In general, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 102 within a cell) may be performed at any one of the base stations 102 based on channel quality information fed back from any one of the UEs 106. The downlink resource allocation information may be transmitted on a PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs.
The PDCCH may transmit control information using a Control Channel Element (CCE). The PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruples before being mapped to resource elements, and then may be aligned for rate matching using a sub-block interleaver. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to four physical resource element sets of nine, referred to as Resource Element Groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. One or more CCEs may be used to transmit a PDCCH according to a size of Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, l=1, 2, 4, or 8).
Exemplary communication device
Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 in accordance with some aspects. It is noted that the block diagram of the communication device of fig. 3 is only one example of a possible communication device. According to aspects, the communication device 106 may be a User Equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, and/or a combination of devices, among other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 300 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.
For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input/output interfaces such as connector I/F320 (e.g., for connection to a computer system, docking station, charging station, input device such as microphone, camera, keyboard, output device such as speaker, etc.), display 360 that may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000, bluetooth, wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.). In some aspects, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for ethernet.
The wireless communication circuit 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicably; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as one or more antennas 335 as shown. The wireless communication circuitry 330 may include cellular communication circuitry and/or mid-short range wireless communication circuitry and may include multiple receive chains and/or multiple transmit chains for receiving and/or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.
In some aspects, as described further below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include one or more receive chains of multiple RATs (including and/or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) a dedicated processor and/or radio (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR).
The communication device 106 may also include and/or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and/or speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and/or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and/or receiving or interpreting user input.
The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (subscriber identity module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more universal integrated circuit cards) 345.
As shown, SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for communication device 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The one or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read Only Memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and/or to other circuits or devices (such as display circuitry 304, wireless communication circuitry 330, connector I/F320, and/or display 360). MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some aspects, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.
As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and/or wired communication circuitry. As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. The processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360.
Further, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements, as described herein. Accordingly, the processor 302 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 302.
Further, as described herein, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the wireless communication circuit 330. Accordingly, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 330. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 330.
Exemplary base station
Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 in accordance with some aspects. Note that the base station of fig. 4 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate the addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).
Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices, such as UE device 106, of the telephone network as described above in fig. 1 and 2.
The network port 470 (or additional network ports) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and/or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via a core network, and/or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).
In some aspects, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G new air interface (5G NR) base station or "gNB". In such aspects, the base station 102 may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and/or to an NR core (NRC)/5G core (5 GC) network. Further, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more Transition and Reception Points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gnbs.
Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio 430 via a communication link 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, wi-Fi, and the like.
The base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using a plurality of wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that may enable base station 102 to communicate in accordance with multiple wireless communication techniques. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include LTE radio means for performing communication according to LTE and 5G NR radio means for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. When base station 102 supports millimeter waves, the 5G NR radio may be coupled to one or more millimeter wave antenna arrays or panels. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multimode radio capable of performing communications in accordance with any of a variety of wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and LTE, 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).
BS102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the specific implementation of features described herein, as described further herein below. The processor 404 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement or support some or all of the embodiments of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support embodiments of some or all of the features described herein in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470.
Further, as described herein, one or more processors 404 may include one or more processing elements. Accordingly, the processor 404 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 404. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.
Furthermore, the radio 430 may include one or more processing elements, as described herein. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.
Exemplary cellular communication Circuit
Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit in accordance with some aspects. It is noted that the block diagram of the cellular communication circuit of fig. 5 is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit; other circuits, such as circuits including or coupled to enough antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activity using separate antennas, or circuits including or coupled to fewer antennas, such as may be shared among multiple RATs, are also possible. According to some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device, such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be a User Equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, a notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and/or a combination of devices, among other devices.
The cellular communication circuit 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and 336 as shown. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains of multiple RATs (including and/or coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to dedicated processors and/or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as shown in fig. 5, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a first modem 510 and a second modem 520, the first modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-a), and the second modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).
As shown, the first modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a Radio Frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 530 may comprise receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some aspects, the receive circuitry 532 may be in communication with a Downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335 a.
Similarly, the second modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 in communication with the processors 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may comprise receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some aspects, the receive circuitry 542 may be in communication with a DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335 b.
In some aspects, switch 570 may couple transmit circuit 534 to an Uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, switch 570 may couple transmit circuit 544 to UL front end 572.UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit in accordance with a first RAT (e.g., supported via the first modem 510), the switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows the first modem 510 to transmit signals in accordance with the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit in accordance with a second RAT (e.g., supported via second modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows second modem 520 to transmit signals in accordance with the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuit 544 and UL front end 572).
As described herein, the first modem 510 and/or the second modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. The processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processors 512, 522 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) or as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.
Further, as described herein, the processors 512, 522 may include one or more processing elements. Accordingly, the processors 512, 522 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processors 512, 522. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processors 512, 522.
In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include only one transmit/receive chain. For example, the cellular communication circuit 330 may not include the modem 520, the RF front end 540, the DL front end 560, and/or the antenna 335b. As another example, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may not include the modem 510, the RF front end 530, the DL front end 550, and/or the antenna 335a. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may also not include a switch 570, and either the RF front end 530 or the RF front end 540 may communicate with the UL front end 572, e.g., directly.
Exemplary network element
Fig. 6 illustrates an example block diagram of a network element 600 in accordance with some aspects. According to some aspects, network element 600 may implement one or more logical functions/entities of a cellular core network, such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), an Access and Management Function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), a Network Slice Quota Management (NSQM) function, and so forth. It should be noted that the network element 600 of fig. 6 is only one example of a possible network element 600. As shown, the core network element 600 may include one or more processors 604 that may execute program instructions of the core network element 600. The processor 604 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 640, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 604 and translate the addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 660 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 650), or to other circuits or devices.
Network element 600 may include at least one network port 670. Network port 670 may be configured to couple to one or more base stations and/or other cellular network entities and/or devices. Network element 600 may communicate with a base station (e.g., eNB/gNB) and/or other network entities/devices by way of any of a variety of communication protocols and/or interfaces.
As described further herein below, network element 600 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting embodiments of the features described herein. The processor 604 of the core network element 600 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the embodiments of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 604 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof.
Channel State Information (CSI) feedback on initial access message
According to certain aspects of the disclosure, an earlier CSI report may be requested and reported by the UE. In some cases, an initial access message may be used to request and eventually report such CSI. For example, the Msg3 messages transmitted during the RACH procedure may be modified to enable link adaptation of Msg4 transmissions and thus improve the coverage performance of UE devices, whether they are so-called "Redcap" devices or other devices.
According to a first aspect, msg3 messages may be used to perform "aperiodic CSI" reporting based on "periodic CSI-RS". In the method, a configuration of a periodic CSI-RS for CSI calculation may be broadcast in a system information block 1 (SIB 1), including a set of parameters such as periodicity and offset, quasi co-location (QCL) information (i.e., transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state), scrambling IDs, power control parameters, and resource mapping. However, this approach has drawbacks, e.g., due to the "always on" nature of the RS overhead and lack of scheduling flexibility.
Thus, according to the second aspect, the Msg3 message may be used to perform "aperiodic CSI" reporting based on the "aperiodic CSI-RS". In this method, the aperiodic CSI-RS resource set may be configured by SIB1, which includes an aperiodic trigger offset configuration, QCL configuration of QCL RS sources, and quasi co-sited type. Further, a single set of CSI-triggered states may be configured by SIB1, where a CSI-triggered state may be associated with any candidate Downlink (DL) bandwidth portion (BWP).
In some cases, one code state of "all zeros" may be supported to indicate that no CSI feedback is triggered on Msg3, which gives the network full control over signaling overhead in DL, UL, or both directions. The mapping between CSI trigger state and configured aperiodic CSI-RS resources may also be configured by SIB 1. According to some aspects, different trigger mechanisms (e.g., using DCI format messages on PDCCH or MAC control elements (MAC-CEs) on PDSCH) may be considered for CSI transmission instead of Msg3 messages, as will be explained in further detail below.
According to some such aspects, the earlier CSI feedback may be specifically triggered by the CSI request field in DCI format 1_0, e.g., with a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by the RA-RNTI of the UE. In some designs, one CSI request field may be newly introduced by reusing reserved bits (e.g., 16 bits) or bits (e.g., 2 bits) of the Least Significant Bits (LSBs) from a System Frame Number (SFN) Information Element (IE). In other designs, the value of the CSI request may be indicated by scrambling the CRC bits of DCI format 1_0 by selecting a scrambling sequence as follows (e.g., if a 2-bit value is being used): CSI request value "00" corresponds to 24-bit scrambling sequence "0"; CSI request value "01" corresponds to 24-bit scrambling sequence "1"; CSI request value "10" corresponds to a 24-bit scrambling sequence repeated "10"; and CSI request value "11" corresponds to a 24-bit scrambling sequence repeated "01". It should be appreciated that these are merely exemplary CSI request values that may be used for scrambling sequence selection.
In the current design, only a Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation scheme is allowed for PDSCH scheduled by RA-RNTI. Accordingly, two Most Significant Bits (MSBs) of 5 bits of a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field in DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by RA-RNTI may be reused, e.g., as the aforementioned 2-bit CSI request field to trigger earlier CSI feedback on Msg3 message, e.g., during initial access. Note that the same design principles may be applied to other numbers of CSI request field bits, e.g., 1-bit request values.
Turning now to fig. 7, an exemplary scheme 700 for providing early CSI feedback is illustrated in accordance with some aspects. In scheme 700, the early CSI feedback is triggered by DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by temporary cell RNTI (TC-RNTI). This scheme is mainly motivated to support UE-specific early CSI feedback, which is not possible with the above-described scheme in which the CRC is scrambled by the RA-RNTI.
In some such designs, a 2-bit CSI request field may be added to DCI format 1-0 with CRC scrambled by TC-RNTI to trigger earlier CSI feedback, provided that Msg3 is retransmitted instead of being transmitted on the initial Msg3 transmission scheduled by the MAC RAR message. Alternatively, the 2-bit field of "ChannelAcces-CPext" in Rel-16 DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by TC-RNTI may be reinterpreted as the "CSI request" IE triggered by earlier CSI feedback on the Msg3 retransmission.
Fig. 7 provides one such example of earlier CSI feedback on Msg-3 retransmission by using a 2-bit CSI request field in DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by TC-RNTI. As shown in fig. 7, the early CSI feedback is not triggered on the initial Msg3 730 because there is only a single DCI format with RA-RNTI for all UEs. In contrast, for Msg3 scheduled by Msg2 RAR 760 and not successfully received by the gNB, DCI format 1_0 710 with TC-RNTI is used to trigger CSI feedback 750 on retransmitted Msg3 720, and CSI information is then available for subsequent Msg3/Msg4 scheduling.
Turning now to fig. 8, illustrated is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Random Access Response (RAR) message to trigger an exemplary modification of the earlier CSI feedback 800, according to some aspects. As shown, the MAC RAR includes a plurality of octets including a reserved or zero pad bit "R", a timing advance command field, a UL grant field, and a temporary C-RNTI field.
According to a first option 810, in this aperiodic CSI report triggering design, the reserved or zero-padded bits "R" in the MAC RAR may be reused as CSI request IEs to trigger early CSI feedback on Msg 3. For example, the "R" field may be set to "1" indicating that CSI feedback is triggered; otherwise, if set to "0", CSI feedback will not be requested.
According to a second option 820, at least one unused bit of the 27 bits in the UL grant field of the current MAC RAR message may be reused as CSI request IE to trigger early CSI feedback on Msg 3.
According to a third option 830, an enhanced or modified MAC-CE may be introduced with the newly added CSI request field, e.g., by adding one octet from the current last octet for the MAC-CE and placing the new CSI request field at that location.
In some designs, the following parameters of the aperiodic CSI report may be configured in SIB1 or hard coded in the 3GPP specifications:
(1) Report amount: in some designs, the reporting amount may be hard coded in the specification to trigger wideband CQI/PMI reporting with ri=1. For example, the reporting amount may be fixed to "cri-RI-i1".
(2) Reporting frequency configuration/subband size: in some designs, the subband size "S" may be fixed in the specification to a maximum value that allows the UE to be configured via higher layers through dedicated RRC signaling. In one example, S may be equal to 8 Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs).
(3) CodebookConfig: in some designs, the codebook may be fixed to type-I without any configuration.
(4) CQI table: in some designs, one of table 5.2.2.1-2 (i.e., a target of 0.1 BLER) or table 5.2.2.1-3 (i.e., support for a lower code rate target of 0.00001 BLER) may be hard coded in the specification of CSI feedback on Msg3 transmissions.
Turning now to fig. 9, an exemplary scheme 900 for trigger signal based aperiodic CSI-RS timing is illustrated in accordance with some aspects. According to scheme 900, the aperiodic CSI-RS may be transmitted a certain number "Z" symbols later after the last symbol carrying the trigger signaling that triggers the DCI (i.e., PDCCH in case of DCI-based trigger method, or PDSCH in case of modified/enhanced MAC-CE-based trigger method).
In some designs, the value of Z may be selected by trigger signaling from a set of values indicated in SIB 1. In some designs, the UE applies QCL assumptions for CORESET associated with the monitored search space in which the UE detects the trigger signal of the a-CSI-RS reception. In some other designs, interference measurements may be performed on the triggered aperiodic non-zero power (NZP) -CSI-RS to minimize signaling overhead. Alternatively, the UE expects the same aperiodic trigger offset configured and triggered NZP-CSI-RS for interference measurement and channel measurement.
Fig. 9 provides an illustration of one such example of aperiodic CSI-RS 950 transmission with different trigger signaling (i.e., DCI format on PDCCH 910 with Z930 and enhanced MAC-CE Msg2 RAR message 920 with Z940). The UE may then report the measured CSI report on Msg3 960 scheduled by Msg2 RAR message 920.
Exemplary methods for reporting and receiving device capabilities and triggering early CSI feedback from a UE
Turning first to fig. 10, a flow diagram 1000 detailing a method of designating an earlier CSI report by a wireless device is illustrated in accordance with some aspects. Method 1000 may begin with transmitting, by a wireless device to a wireless station, an indication to provide early CSI feedback from the wireless device (e.g., where the indication includes an indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16NR device) (step 1002).
In some cases, the reduced capability (if so indicated) may include at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communication (step 1004).
In other cases, the indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities may further include an indication of at least one of: a predetermined minimum number of parameters related to network access (e.g., a theoretical Redcap Device Type (RDT) type 1 that requires a device to have a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz (FR 1)/100 MHz (FR 2) and 1 Rx branch (i.e., rx chain), and a theoretical RDT type 2 that requires a device to have a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz (FR 1)/100 MHz (FR 2) and 2 Rx branches (i.e., rx chain), etc.); reduced capability device type identifiers of wireless devices (where, for example, all reduced capabilities of a UE are included in an RDT definition as compared to a normal Rel-15/Rel-16 device, and where such RDT definition may be hard coded into the specification); or the wireless device meets a set of mandatory minimum device requirements for the reduced capability device (e.g., where RDT is defined to include mandatory requirements that all Redcap UEs are able to support RDT type 1, as described in the example above) (step 1006).
In still other cases, the indication that the wireless device has reduced capability may further include an indication of a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device, wherein the device type identifier is indicated by a selection of one of a set of predefined PRACH resources (step 1008). In some designs, the predefined PRACH resources (including RB resources or cyclic shift sequence resources or a combination thereof) of the Redcap device may be further divided into M groups (e.g., groups a and B), where "M" represents the number of RDTs. Each of the M groups may be dedicated to one RDT of the RACH procedure. In other designs, the PRACH resources of the Redcap device may be allocated on different UL BWPs, e.g., with each BWP having a one-to-one association with a respective RDT, motivated by the fact that the Redcap UE device supports reduced bandwidth as compared to the normal NR device. In some such designs, the location of different UL BWP may be signaled by SIB1 message with respect to point a.
In some other such designs, UL BWP contiguous with the initial UL BWP may be used as the "initial UL BWP" for the Redcap device with PRACH resources. To explain in more detail, in existing NR systems, an initial UL BWP (referred to herein as a "normal initial UL BWP") is configured by SIB1, which SIB1 consists of a set of consecutive Resource Blocks (RBs) and includes a plurality of RBs dedicated to PRACH resources as normal NR devices. According to these designs, a separate UL BWP (referred to herein as a "Redcap initial UL BWP") is provided in SIB1 in addition to the "normal initial UL BWP" which is formed by aggregating a set of consecutive RBs adjacent to the RBs of the normal initial UL BWP and includes a plurality of RBs as dedicated PRACH resources of the Redcap device. Conceptually, the Redcap initial UL BWP may function similarly to the normal initial UL BWP to provide dedicated PRACH resources for a specific device type, i.e., one for the Redcap device and the other for the normal NR device. The one-to-one mapping between UL BWP and RDT values may be hard coded into the specification.
It should be appreciated that the indication of reduced capability is exemplary, particularly in the context of step 1002 of the method. In fact, the wireless device may indicate a desire for earlier CSI feedback for any number of reasons (i.e., not just due to the reduced receiving (or other) capabilities of the wireless device). In other cases, the wireless device may actually receive an initial indication that the wireless station is able to receive the earlier CSI feedback before the wireless device transmits any indication to the wireless station regarding its own capabilities and/or the desire to provide the earlier CSI feedback.
Next, at step 1010, method 1000 may proceed to receive a modified message (e.g., a DCI or MAC RAR message) from the wireless station in response to the indication, wherein the modified message triggers an earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device.
Next, at step 1012, the method 1000 may proceed to transmit, by the wireless device, an earlier CSI feedback (e.g., measurement of CSI-RS) to the wireless station using a message related to the RACH procedure (e.g., an Msg3 message) in response to receiving the modified message.
Finally, at step 1014, the method 1000 may proceed to complete a connection, e.g., an RRC connection, to the wireless station based at least in part on the transmitted earlier CSI feedback (and, e.g., in response to the number of repetitions of the Msg4 message broadcast from the wireless station).
In other designs, instead of indicating its reduced capability via selection of PRACH resources (as described above with reference to step 1008), the wireless device may signal its reduced capability during the RACH procedure, for example, using sparse or extended bits of Msg3 (i.e., bits not yet used in the Rel-15/Rel-16 NR Msg3 message) as part of the Msg3 transmission. In such designs, the UE may initially receive from the wireless station an indication that the wireless station is able to receive earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device. The indication may be broadcast, for example, by the wireless station in a system information block #1 (SIB 1), for example, in the form of one or more enumeration bits. Later, the wireless device may transmit earlier CSI feedback to the wireless station using a message related to the RACH procedure in response to receiving the indication, and then complete the connection to the wireless station based at least in part on the transmitted earlier CSI feedback. In some such designs, earlier CSI feedback may also be transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message. According to some aspects, an indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages (e.g., in the form of a reduced capability device type identifier) may be transmitted to the wireless station over a connection with an Msg3 transmission to the wireless station, the Msg3 transmission also containing an earlier CSI feedback report. As with other designs described herein, the wireless device may also be specifically triggered to transmit earlier CSI feedback to the wireless station in response to receiving a modified message (e.g., DCI format 1_0 or a modified MAC RAR message) from the wireless station, although explicit triggering would not be required. Alternatively, signaling to the wireless device that it can transmit earlier CSI feedback may also be broadcast as part of RACH configuration information in SIB 1.
Fig. 11 is a flow diagram detailing a method 1100 of designating an earlier CSI report by a wireless station or other network device, in accordance with some aspects. Method 1100 may begin by receiving, at a wireless station, an indication from a wireless device to provide early CSI feedback from the wireless device (e.g., where the indication includes an indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16NR device) (step 1102).
As with fig. 10, in some cases, the reduced capability (if so indicated) may include at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communication (step 1104). In other cases, the indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities further includes an indication of at least one of: a predetermined minimum number of parameters related to network access; a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device; or the wireless device meets a set of mandatory minimum device requirements for the reduced capability device (step 1106). In still other cases, the indication that the wireless device has reduced capability may also include an indication of a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device, wherein the device type identifier is indicated by a selection of one of a set of predefined PRACH resources or via an Msg3 message (step 1108).
Next, at step 1110, the method 1100 may proceed to transmit a modified message (e.g., a DCI or MAC RAR message) to the wireless device in response to the indication, wherein the modified message triggers an earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device.
Next, at step 1112, the method 1100 may proceed to receive, at the radio station, an earlier CSI feedback (e.g., measurement of CSI-RS) via a message related to the RACH procedure (e.g., an Msg3 message) in response to transmitting the modified message.
Finally, at step 1114, the method 1100 may proceed to complete a connection (e.g., an RRC connection) to the wireless device by the wireless station based at least in part on the received earlier CSI feedback (e.g., after broadcasting the repeat number of Msg4 messages from the wireless station).
It should be noted that the dashed boxes in fig. 10-11 in the present disclosure indicate the optional nature of such steps or features. Furthermore, one or more optional steps or features can be combined with each other in any desired manner.
Examples
In the following sections, further exemplary aspects are provided.
According to embodiment 1, a wireless device is disclosed, the wireless device comprising: a radio part; and a processor operably coupled to the radio, wherein the processor is configured to: transmitting a first indication to a wireless station that provides early Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the wireless device; receiving a modified message from the wireless station in response to the first indication, wherein the modified message triggers an earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device; transmitting the earlier CSI feedback to the radio station using a message related to a RACH procedure in response to receiving the modified message; and completing the connection to the wireless station based at least in part on the transmitted earlier CSI feedback.
Embodiment 2 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1 wherein the first indication includes a second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16 new air interface (NR) device.
Embodiment 3 includes the subject matter of embodiment 2, wherein the reduced capability includes at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communications.
Embodiment 4 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: a modified Msg4 message is received from the wireless station in response to the transmitted CSI feedback.
Embodiment 5 includes the subject matter of embodiment 4, wherein the modified Msg4 message includes a repetition of the Msg4 message.
Embodiment 6 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 7 includes the subject matter of embodiment 2 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 8 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein the earlier CSI feedback comprises a measurement of a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS), wherein configuration information of the CSI-RS is broadcast by the wireless station in a system information block #1 (SIB 1).
Embodiment 9 includes the subject matter of embodiment 8, wherein the set of periodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 10 includes the subject matter of embodiment 8, wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 11 includes the subject matter of embodiment 10, wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources includes resources that occur after a predetermined number of symbols after transmission of a last symbol of the modified message that triggered the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device.
Embodiment 12 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0.
Embodiment 13 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0 message scrambled with a wireless device specific identifier.
Embodiment 14 includes the subject matter of embodiment 13 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via a retransmitted Msg3 message.
Embodiment 15 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device comprises a modified Medium Access Control (MAC) Random Access Response (RAR) message.
Embodiment 16 includes the subject matter of embodiment 15, wherein the modified MAC RAR message includes at least one of: the reuse reserved bit of the MAC RAR message; one or more reuse bits in an Uplink (UL) grant field of the MAC RAR message; or a new CSI request field added to the MAC RAR message.
Embodiment 17 includes the subject matter of embodiment 2 wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities further includes an indication of at least one of: a predetermined minimum number of parameters related to network access; a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device; or the wireless device meets a set of mandatory minimum device requirements for the reduced capability device.
Embodiment 18 includes the subject matter of embodiment 2 wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability further includes an indication of a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device, wherein the device type identifier is indicated by a selection of one of a set of predefined PRACH resources for performing a random access procedure with the wireless station.
Embodiment 19 includes the subject matter of embodiment 18 wherein the set of predefined PRACH resources includes a set of consecutive Uplink (UL) bandwidth portions (BWP).
According to embodiment 20, a wireless network communication method is disclosed, the wireless network communication method including: transmitting, from a wireless device to a wireless station, a first indication providing early Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the wireless device; receiving, at the wireless device, a modified message from the wireless station in response to the first indication, wherein the modified message triggers early Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the wireless device to the wireless station; transmitting, by the wireless device, the earlier CSI feedback to the wireless station using a message related to a RACH procedure in response to receiving the modified message; and completing a connection between the wireless device and the wireless station based at least in part on the transmitted earlier CSI feedback.
Embodiment 21 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the first indication includes a second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16 new air interface (NR) device.
Embodiment 22 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21, wherein the reduced capability includes at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communications.
Embodiment 23 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20, wherein the method further comprises: a modified Msg4 message is received from the wireless station in response to the transmitted CSI feedback.
Embodiment 24 includes the subject matter of embodiment 23, wherein the modified Msg4 message includes a repetition of the Msg4 message.
Embodiment 25 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 26 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 27 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the earlier CSI feedback includes measurements of CSI reference signals (CSI-RS), wherein configuration information of the CSI-RS is broadcast by the wireless station in system information block #1 (SIB 1).
Embodiment 28 includes the subject matter of embodiment 27 wherein the set of periodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 29 includes the subject matter of embodiment 27, wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 30 includes the subject matter of embodiment 29, wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources includes resources that occur after a predetermined number of symbols after transmission of a last symbol of the modified message that triggered the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device.
Embodiment 31 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0.
Embodiment 32 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0 message scrambled with a wireless device specific identifier.
Embodiment 33 includes the subject matter of embodiment 32 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via a retransmitted Msg3 message.
Embodiment 34 includes the subject matter of embodiment 20 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device comprises a modified Medium Access Control (MAC) Random Access Response (RAR) message.
Embodiment 35 includes the subject matter of embodiment 34 wherein the modified MAC RAR message includes at least one of: the reuse reserved bit of the MAC RAR message; one or more reuse bits in an Uplink (UL) grant field of the MAC RAR message; or a new CSI request field added to the MAC RAR message.
Embodiment 36 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21, wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities further includes an indication of at least one of: a predetermined minimum number of parameters related to network access; a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device; or the wireless device meets a set of mandatory minimum device requirements for the reduced capability device.
Embodiment 37 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21 wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability further includes an indication of a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device, wherein the device type identifier is indicated by a selection of one of a set of predefined PRACH resources for performing a random access procedure with the wireless station.
Embodiment 38 includes the subject matter of embodiment 37 wherein the set of predefined PRACH resources includes a set of contiguous UL BWP.
According to embodiment 39, there is disclosed a wireless station including: a radio part; and a processor operably coupled to the radio, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, at the wireless station, a first indication from a wireless device that provides early Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the wireless device; transmitting a modified message to the wireless device in response to the first indication, wherein the modified message triggers early Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the wireless device; receiving the earlier CSI feedback at the radio station via a message related to a RACH procedure; and completing a connection to the wireless device based at least in part on the received earlier CSI feedback.
Embodiment 40 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the first indication includes a second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16 new air interface (NR) device.
Embodiment 41 includes the subject matter of embodiment 40, wherein the reduced capability includes at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communications.
Embodiment 42 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39, wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to the received CSI feedback, a modified Msg4 message is transmitted to the wireless device.
Embodiment 43 includes the subject matter of embodiment 42 wherein the modified Msg4 message includes a repetition of the Msg4 message.
Embodiment 44 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the earlier CSI feedback is received at the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 45 includes the subject matter of embodiment 40 wherein the earlier CSI feedback is received at the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 46 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the earlier CSI feedback comprises a measurement of a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS), wherein configuration information of the CSI-RS is broadcast by the wireless station in a system information block #1 (SIB 1).
Embodiment 47 includes the subject matter of embodiment 46, wherein the set of periodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 48 includes the subject matter of embodiment 46, wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources is configured in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 49 includes the subject matter of embodiment 48 wherein the set of aperiodic CSI-RS resources includes resources that occur after a predetermined number of symbols after transmission of a last symbol of the modified message that triggered the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device.
Embodiment 50 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0.
Embodiment 51 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a field in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0 message scrambled with a wireless device specific identifier.
Embodiment 52 includes the subject matter of embodiment 51 wherein the earlier CSI feedback is received at the wireless station via a retransmitted Msg3 message.
Embodiment 53 includes the subject matter of embodiment 39 wherein the modified message triggering the earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device includes a modified Medium Access Control (MAC) Random Access Response (RAR) message.
Embodiment 54 includes the subject matter of embodiment 53 wherein the modified MAC RAR message includes at least one of: the reuse reserved bit of the MAC RAR message; one or more reuse bits in an Uplink (UL) grant field of the MAC RAR message; or a new CSI request field added to the MAC RAR message.
Embodiment 55 includes the subject matter of embodiment 40 wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities further includes an indication of at least one of: a predetermined minimum number of parameters related to network access; a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device; or the wireless device meets a set of mandatory minimum device requirements for the reduced capability device.
Embodiment 56 includes the subject matter of embodiment 40 wherein the second indication that the wireless device has reduced capability further includes an indication of a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device, wherein the device type identifier is indicated by a selection of one of a set of predefined PRACH resources for performing a random access procedure with the wireless station.
Embodiment 57 includes the subject matter of embodiment 56 wherein the set of predefined PRACH resources includes a set of contiguous UL BWP.
According to embodiment 58, a wireless device is disclosed, the wireless device comprising: a radio part; and a processor operably coupled to the radio, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, from a wireless station, an indication that the wireless station is capable of receiving earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device; transmitting the earlier CSI feedback to the wireless station using a message related to a RACH procedure in response to receiving the indication; and completing the connection to the wireless station based at least in part on the transmitted earlier CSI feedback.
Embodiment 59 includes the subject matter of embodiment 58 wherein the indication that the wireless station is capable of receiving earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device is broadcast by the wireless station in system information block #1 (SIB 1).
Embodiment 60 includes the subject matter of embodiment 59 wherein the indication that the wireless station is capable of receiving earlier CSI feedback from the wireless device further includes one or more enumeration bits broadcast in the SIB 1.
Embodiment 61 includes the subject matter of embodiment 58 wherein the early CSI feedback is transmitted to the wireless station via an Msg3 message.
Embodiment 62 includes the subject matter of embodiment 61 wherein the Msg3 message is connected with an indication that the wireless device has reduced capability to receive messages relative to a release 15 or release 16 new air interface (NR) device.
Embodiment 63 includes the subject matter of embodiment 62 wherein the indication that the wireless device has reduced capabilities includes a reduced capability device type identifier of the wireless device.
Embodiment 64 includes the subject matter of embodiment 62, wherein the reduced capability includes at least one of: a reduced number of antennas; reduced bandwidth, reduced processing power; reduced processing time requirements; or lack support for full duplex communications.
Embodiment 65 includes the subject matter of embodiment 58, wherein the processor is further configured to: a modified Msg4 message is received from the wireless station in response to the transmitted CSI feedback.
Embodiment 66 includes the subject matter of embodiment 65 wherein the modified Msg4 message includes a repetition of the Msg4 message.
Embodiment 67 includes the subject matter of embodiment 58, wherein the processor is further configured to: the method further includes transmitting the earlier CSI feedback to the wireless station in response to receiving a modified message from the wireless station, wherein the modified message triggers the earlier CSI feedback.
Embodiment 68 includes the subject matter of embodiment 67, wherein the modified message includes at least one of: a field in Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0; or a modified MAC RAR message.
Yet another exemplary aspect may include a method that performs any or all of the foregoing embodiments.
Yet another exemplary aspect may include a non-transitory computer accessible memory medium including program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all of the portions of any of the preceding embodiments.
Yet another exemplary aspect may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the preceding embodiments.
Yet another exemplary aspect may include an apparatus comprising means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding embodiments.
Yet another exemplary aspect may include an apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause a device to perform any or all of the elements of any of the preceding embodiments.
It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be specified to the user.
Aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in any of various forms. For example, some aspects may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other aspects may be implemented using one or more custom designed hardware devices, such as an ASIC. Other aspects may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs.
In some aspects, a non-transitory computer readable memory medium may be configured to cause it to store program instructions and/or data that, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the method aspects described herein, or any combination of the method aspects described herein, or any subset of any method aspects described herein, or any combination of such subsets.
In some aspects, a device (e.g., UE 106, BS102, network element 600) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method aspects described herein (or any combination of the method aspects described herein, or any subset of the method aspects described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.
Although the above aspects have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.